Cyclist: Driver didn't see me stuck in windshield

Jan. 21, 2014
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Steven Gove of Manitowoc, Wis., talks about how lucky he was to escape serious injury after he was stuck in the windshield of a moving car, Monday, Jan 20, 2014. Gove says he was struck Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 night while riding his three-wheeled bicycle. Gove says he was wearing an overcoat with a reflective vest and he had front and rear flashers on. He says he's not sure why the driver didn't see him. / Sue Pischke, AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

MANITOWOC, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin man who became lodged in the windshield of a car that struck him said he turned to the driver and said, "Hello, I'm the guy you hit on the bicycle."

The driver did not respond, but continued on, running a stop sign and hitting another vehicle before he arrived home, the cyclist, Steven Gove, told HTR Media about the Saturday incident (http://htrne.ws/1bI58jh ).

The man finally noticed Gove when he stopped the car outside his home.

"He looked at me and said 'Who are you? What are you doing in the car?'" Gove said. "He started freaking out: 'I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail.'"

The man then locked the car doors and went into his home. Gove, whose body had gone most of the way through the windshield, then pulled his knees and feet into the car.

"I righted myself and got out," he said. "I unlocked the passenger's side door and started walking down the street."

A witness had called police, who found Gove as he was walking and took him to a hospital. Doctors removed glass from Gove's eyes and treated him for other cuts to the head and leg.

The driver, a 20-year-old Manitowoc man, was found at the home and treated at a hospital for a serious cut to the hand. He hadn't been formally charged as of Tuesday morning, but he was facing several preliminary charges, including suspicion of drunken driving, suspicion of hit-and-run causing injury and suspicion of failing to render aid.

Gove, a 56-year-old newspaper carrier, was shocked that the driver didn't see him on his three-wheeled delivery bike.

"I was wearing my blue overcoat with my neon reflective vest," said Gove. "I had my front and rear flashers on. I have no idea why he didn't see me."

A 50-year-old Green Bay man died in a similar accident in 2007. Steven Warrichaiet was sentenced to 15 years in prison for hitting Tyrone Ware, driving home with Ware's body lodged in the windshield and leaving Ware in the garage while Warrichaiet went inside and fell asleep on the couch. An autopsy showed Ware died instantly of spinal injuries.

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Information from: HTR Media, http://www.htrnews.com

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